U.K. retailer John Lewis will sell Barnes & Noble’s Nook devices

Barnes & Noble Inc. has selected U.K. department store chain John Lewis Plc to sell its Nook electronic book readers in all of the retailer’s 37 stores and on JohnLewis.com. The devices will be available in time for the holiday season, Barnes & Noble said in an announcement today.

Last week Barnes & Noble announced it will begin selling Nooks in Europe this fall through its own new online store, nook.co.uk. The deal with John Lewis is the bookstore chain’s first international partnership to sell Nooks, it says.

“John Lewis is where knowledgeable customers turn for trusted advice on the best products to purchase and they are a perfect partner to help launch Nook in the U.K.,” says Jamie Iannone, president of digital products at Barnes & Noble, No. 32 in the 2012 Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide.

John Lewis operates 29 department stores and eight home furnishing stores across the United Kingdom and 280 Waitrose supermarkets. Its sales last year totaled 8.7 billion pounds (US$13.8 billion.) John Lewis is No. 16 in Internet Retailer’s Top 400 Europe directory.

John Lewis will begin by selling the Nook Simple Touch and the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, Barnes & Noble says. Both devices feature e-ink technology, designed to mimic on a tablet the experience of reading on paper, and connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi.

“We think our customers will love Nook's adaptability thanks to its e-ink display and unique built-in GlowLight, perfect for day or night time reading,” says Ed Connolly, director of buying for electric and home technology at John Lewis. “This award-winning line of e-readers adds greater choice to this expanding category.”